I’m not going to lie: I don’t have much respect for Trump voters. It amazes me that anyone with two functioning brain cells could vote for a brutal, stupid, narcissist whose previous career was notable only for his celebrity despite of a parade of bankruptcies, endless evidence of cheating and fraud, as well as personal viciousness. I recognized that many Trump supporters — with the aid of FoxNews, Breitbart and social media — recused themselves from reality, preferring to feast on an endless banquet of “alternative facts” because real facts don’t comport with right wing fantasies.

But even I’m surprised by the level of gullibility and stupidity to which Trumps supporters have sunk. Trump is behaving like a wholly owned subsidiary of Russia. and his supporters don’t seem to register that it appears that Trump is being led around by the nose by Vladimir Putin.

FoxNews viewers, Breitbart readers, Republican congressmen/women and Trump supporters, are you really so insulated from reality that you can’t see it?

I realize that we are just in the earliest stages of the investigation into Russia’s undeniable meddling in the US election and Trump’s staff meeting (and possibly Trump himself) with Russian bankers, spies and government officials. But really, people, do I have to spell it out for you?

By far the biggest obstacle for Putin’s plans to make Russia Great Again has been the United States. With our power, prestige, and ideological leadership, the US represents the biggest threat to Putin’s aspirations. In order to make Russia Great Again, he hoped — through the insertion of Donald Trump into American politics — to Make America Weak Again. He has succeeded beyond his wildest imaginings.

Think about it. If you wanted to make America weak again, what would you do? Here are some suggestions:

1. Meddle in US elections to facilitate the ascent of a brutal, stupid narcissist to the Presidency.

2. Encourage chaos, since internal chaos US automatically reduces the US ability to project power, leadership and ideological influence. Trump is nothing if not a source chaos.

3. Promote the election of a party that is incapable of governing. The Republicans now control all three branches of government but they still can’t manage to accomplish anything besides harassing the downtrodden.

4. Promote dissension between the US and its allies. It is not an exaggeration to say the the United States is the leader of the world, but its position is already faltering as Trump manages to offend even our closest allies. Putin must be ecstatic that it has taken Trump only 4 months to degrade US influence in the world. But I’ll bet he couldn’t have imagined Trump would publicly betray the most valuable espionage asset of our ally Israel. Who could possibly be that irresponsible? Donald Trump.

5. Destroy NATO. The US has intentionally been the bulwark of NATO, arguably the biggest barrier to Russian territorial aspirations in Europe. Trump has deliberately, with no obvious benefit to our country, sown dissension with NATO members and incomprehesibly, with no obvious benefit to our country, undermined the deterrent effect of NATO by musing aloud about refusing to stand with out allies.

6. Destroy US leadership in science and technology. By pulling out of the Paris climate accords we have made ourselves the laughingstock of the scientific world. By cutting funding for scientific and medical research we assure that we will soon be ranked second behind China as a leading innovator.

7. Destroy America’s reputation as a wellspring of democratic values. Trump has already expressed his admiration for brutal dictators like Duterte of the Phillipines and Erdogan of Turkey and been slapped down repeatedly by the US courts for his efforts to discriminate against Muslims. But I suspect that even Putin could not have dreamed of allowing Erdogan’s thugs free rein to attack protesters in the US itself. Trump has already managed it.

Despite all this, not a single US job or dollar has been saved.

How exactly does the ranting of a stupid, brutal narcissist on Twitter make America great again?

How does offending our allies make America great again?

How does ceding our leadership role in defense of democracy make America great again?

How does gutting our own science programs make America great again?

How does closing our eyes to the imminent reality of destruction of US business and property by climate change make America great again?

Inquiring minds want to know.

The truth is that it appears that at the behest and under the influence of Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump is Making America Weak Again. Tell me FoxNews viewers, Breitbart readers, Republican congressmen/women and Trump supporters, are you really so insulated from reality that you can’t see it?

Re: USA pulling out of the Paris accords. I’m not sure “laughingstock” is the correct word for how the USA is regarded. I know “cryingstock” doesn’t exist as a word, but it should.

mabelcruet

And now the orange clown is insulting London’s mayor. Classy. He is demeaning the office of President.

Roadstergal

Like creepily trying to foist himself on Princess Di back in the day wasn’t enough to turn the UK against him en masse.

J.B.

Someone I work with, who is extremely intelligent, has an amazing power to forget all the facts *within his area of expertise* that don’t fit with his political views. Lizard brain is a powerful thing.

StephanieA

I’m in Paris right now with my family. I couldn’t be more grateful to be here, but my parents’ conservative views and my liberal ones are colliding and we’re having a hard time. There’s lots of tension, and no one wants to argue (conflict makes me insanely anxious). We basically disagree on everything. I’m trying to see things their way, but their worldview is that of white, wealthy Americans. Advice anyone? Maybe I’m too sensitive.

fiftyfifty1

Drink delicious French wine.

StephanieA

The wine is wonderful! So is the bread, cheese, pastries…I could go on!

J.B.

We had a standing no politics at the dinner table rule, and harmless conversation topics as a distraction. Plus when traveling with family some time every day by myself (I might allow my husband to come along) is essential.

fiftyfifty1

Macron has once again made a public announcement inviting American scientists to emigrate to France. Remember when the United States was the country that provided refuge to brilliant scientists from around the world? Depressing.

J.B.

I’ve been listening to Tom Lehrer lately, it helps me cope.

Pck

The share market and job figures don’t fit your narrative. I believe they are a more objective reflection of reality.

You do realize that the stock market hasn’t reflected economic reality in awhile (this was true under Obama also, btw), right? And the jobs numbers are weak but steady- in 4 months, Trump hasn’t managed to destroy everything yet. I know, I’m shocked too.

The Computer Ate My Nym

Given what the vast majority of lead economic indicators are doing right now, I’d suggest that this would be an excellent time to short the stock market or even the share market, whatever the covfefe that might be.

attitude devant

Get a clue: jobs growth in May was below predicted levels

J.B.

The stock market was going great prior to the major crashes in our history (I remember 2007-08 pretty well, there was also 1929.) These are lagging indicators at best, and not direct reflections of US policy. I am waiting to see what happens with the debt ceiling and will be making several financial decisions based on how things look in August. I’m pretty sure that the US defaulting on debt wouldn’t serve financial markets well.

GiddyUpGo123

We switched our new solar system on yesterday, the day Trump announced we were pulling out of the Paris Agreement. To me it felt like we were giving POTUS and his cronies the middle finger. I know here in California we will keep growing the green economy and I think others will too, because it’s not only the right thing to do but it’s also starting to make economic sense as well. Many more people are employed by the solar industry than by coal. So I have some hope left … but then, I am an optimist.

It took me a second to parse that … for a second I thought you were making a joke that we had created a second solar system (sun, planets, and all) and switched it on, like we actually did have an option to avoid screwing over our one and only planet!

GiddyUpGo123

Haha oops didn’t think about the possible confusion of calling it a “solar system.” Panels. I meant solar panels.

I thought at first it meant alternate solar system like alternate universe. Where were those earthlike planets again?

Gæst

I never until Trump’s presidency liked living in New York. Now it makes me feel a little better to live here.

Amy

I feel both better and worse living in Massachusetts. Even our milquetoast, waffling governor who never takes a stand on anything has signed on to the group of states vowing to uphold the Paris standards. We have had fully entrenched marriage equality for 13 years (well before the rest of the country) and last year passed a comprehensive transgender rights bill. Our educational standards vastly exceed those at the federal level, and last year we rejected, by a two-to-one margin, a ballot initiative that would have expanded charter schools in our state. In the last month, our state AG has come out against a local charter school that had racially discriminatory policies.

The “worse” is for two reasons: first, we could be doing better, and we have a horrible history of racism that we’ve never fully owned up to; and second, as an American, I care about my fellow citizens in red states who are suffering, in some cases greatly, under GOP policies. Look at Kansas and Oklahoma and Mississippi.

Gæst

I still care about the rest of the country, of course. But as a permanently single woman, I wouldn’t necessarily feel safe living in them. I’m not the most disadvantaged person in the world by a long shot, but I also don’t have a lot of money to protect my independence with.

Amy

You and me both!

Linden

When you said “switched our new solar system on yesterday,” I imagined you teleporting off to an alternate planet Earth. Which would be nice.

demodocus

its stupid, but Our Glorious Leader’s voice is an actual f’ing trigger for me, even if people say trigger like its an insult. yeah ppd. oh, and i’m now officially diagnosed with pmdd

demodocus

This recent stuff has caused my husband to cease being a Republican, just one too many things he disagrees with

The Computer Ate My Nym

Heh. His skin tone is just the wrong color for me. It’s one of those weird aspie things, but I avert my eyes from pictures of him unless they’re badly over exposed so that his skin tone is kind of washed out. Then it’s okay, except, you know, for having to look at an incompetent dictator wannabe.

It’s not even his politics or not just his politics. I mean, if aliens kidnapped Trump tomorrow and replaced his brain with Elizabeth Warren’s brain, I’d still be annoyed that I had to keep looking at that piece of ugly for another 3.5 years.

demodocus

*shudder* what a horrible thing to contemplate for poor Warren!

mabelcruet

I can’t say I’m surprised by the Mango Mussolini’s decision. He shows such utter disregard for women, for healthcare, for science, for education-why not utter disregard for the environment and planet too? I loved Macron’s statement-there is no Plan B because there is no Planet B.

Melissa Wickersham

It gets far worse than what you are saying in this blog post. The truth is that there is evidence that indicates that Trump is a willing traitor who may have been in cahoots with the Russians and the Russian Mafia far longer than the 2016 election.
There is evidence that indicates that Putin and the Russian FSB/government are deliberately trying to destabilize and destroy American democracy.
Have you ever heard of Alexander Dugin and his book “Foundations of Geopolitics” ??

Steve Bannon and Brietbart wanted that the USA to be pulled out of The Paris Accord. Steve Bannon wants to cause World War 3 to happen. He wants to cause the Apocalypse and the end of the world.
People like Bannon want to destroy the U.S. government and to destroy America’s relationship with our closest allies.
Brietbart, Wikileaks, and the Alt-right Neonazis are all in cahoots with the Russians. Or at least they desire to ally themselves with Putin and the Russians.
Putin knows that global warming is real. He knows that global warming will be a disaster for the world. Putin does not care about the planet Earth, because he knows that global warming will make Siberia and the Arctic more profitable and accessible for him and his fellow oligarch mobsters.

Melissa Wickersham

I wish to exile and quarantine all of the alt-right Neonazis and the Republicans to the surface of the planet Venus and to the planet HD 189733 b. Exiling the bigoted ignorant anti-science folk to hostile planets would ensure that they would never harm anyone else ever again.

New Mom

I cannot understand how he has any supporters left. Their healthcare is being taken away too. *headdesk*

LaMont

They’ll just blame Obama 🙁

Who?

Doncha know that Obamacare is gone but it’s okay, the Affordable Care Act is what gives them their healthcare, so that’s okay.

I’m not generally in favour of mocking the afflicted, but am prepared to make an exception on this occasion.

Amy

My MIL’s brother, who’s supposed to be smart, and has advanced Parkinson’s, and whose partner has some sort of autoimmune disease that’s left her in constant pain and down to 100 pounds……voted for Trump, as did his aforementioned partner, and my MIL’s mother, who’s like 95 and angry at the world. Their main reason? Insurance premiums had gone up since the ACA passed.

As if insurance premiums wouldn’t have gone up anyway. As if anything the GOP is going to propose will make things better. They all now have pre-existing conditions and stand to lose any hope of coverage of that travesty of a health bill passes.

I wish I felt bad for them, but all I can think is, serves them right.

RudyTooty

Thank you.

T.

It is getting increasingly clear that the World will have to manage without the US help. The only good thing is, it looks like the rest of Europe (I don’t count the UK in this) is getting the memo loud and clear.

Time to get ready for another War, alas, whatever it will happen or not.

Amy Tuteur, MD

Dr. Amy Tuteur is an obstetrician gynecologist. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College in 1979 and her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine in 1984. Dr. Tuteur is a former clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School. She left the practice of medicine to raise her four children. Her book, Push Back: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting (HarperCollins) was published in 2016. She can be reached at DrAmy5 at aol dot com...
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